Spain hands out 10 mln face masks to people returning to work

Spain is handing out 10 million free masks from Monday to Thursday this week, to commuters going back to work after a two-week lockdown that forced all non-essential workers to stay home to combat the spread of COVID-19, the Ministry for Territorial Administration said on Tuesday.

Face masks are being handed out to commuters at train and metro stations as well as at bus terminals across Spain. Residents can pick up masks at 1,300 distribution points throughout Spain.

The distribution is a collaborative effort between communities, town halls, civil protection services and local and regional police, with the participation of 350,000 members of the State Security Forces.

The move comes after the country's economy and non-essential businesses were halted for two weeks. Non-essential workers such as construction staff are allowed to return to work starting from Monday.

The rest of the country remains under lockdown until April 26.

While wearing face masks has not been made compulsory in Spain, the health ministry has strongly advised people to do so.

The curve of coronavirus in Spain is flattening and the infection rate is slowing down. On Tuesday, 3,045 new cases were registered, bringing the total of infected cases to 172,541.

(CGTN)